Article by On the Road: Top Road Trip Movies on Satellite TV
The road trip saga is a sacred genre, a favorite of cineastes and novelists alike. There's something about the combination of self realization, bildungsroman style, combined with the fresh sense of liberty and the strangeness of being on the road, that comes together to make a great movie with a lot of heart. The good road trip movies offer a little bit of light or bracing comedy, drama, sometimes suspense, and always, a fair amount of adventure. Here's a look at some of the top road trip movies to hit the big screen. You can watch them via satellite TV. The Wizard of Oz: Say what you will, but at its core, The Wizard of Oz is a road trip movie. It's the classic journey-a young girl in a strange land comes to some pretty deep and compelling realizations, makes new friends and has tons of incredible adventures. The yellow brick road is a metaphor for the journey of life. It's not the destination that counts, but the people you encounter and the lessons learned on the w ay. If you haven't seen this movie, it's about high time you do so. The Wizard of Oz is an all-time favorite. It airs often on satellite TV, so you've no excuse not to watch it.It Happened One Night: A reporter, played by Clark Gable, and an heiress (Claudette Colbert), pair up in this screw ball comedy directed by the great Frank Capra. This is really the first road trip movie that deserves mention. Colbert as Ellie Andrews is trying to escape her wealthy father, after he stops her marriage. Ellie meets Peter Warne (Gable) who agrees to help her reunite with her love if she gives him an exclusive. Adventures and hijinks ensue. Although the film lacks that modern HD clarity, the story and the great acting more than makes up for it.Night on Earth: Jim Jarmusch has a knack for portraying certain moods with convincing ease. Night on Earth consists of a series of vignettes, various people on the road. The movie jumps from one city to another during one night. We see Paris, LA, R ome, New York and Helsinki all in the same night, from the perspective of a cab. This is brilliant film that's been shot with exquisite execution. Watch in high def and enjoy the ride.Easy Rider: Captain America, played by Peter Fonda, and Billy, played by Dennis Hopper, jump on their motorcycle and head for the open country in search of America, of freedom. They encounter a lot of things, hippies, odd back country alternative communities and Jack Nicholson. This was a landmark film, which explored the American landscape and peered in social issues that no one had really broached before. Definitely, not to be missed-check your local satellite TV listings to catch this classic piece of American film making.Into the Wild: This movie stars Emile Hirsch as a young man whose decided to abandon civilization to find deeper meaning in life. He goes to Alaska and survives on whatever he finds. It's a touching and poignant movie.
